Whether boys and girls should be educated separately or together is a topic that leaves many divided. While some belief in educating them separately, others believe that mixed learning is essential at an early age. Although segregated schools allow children to focus more on academics, in my opinion, mixed schools offer a distinct advantage as they inculcate social skills with the opposite sex that are vital through life.

The primary argument of those that advocate for segregating boys and girls in schools is that having the opposite sex around distracts them from academics. Therefore, separating boys and girls especially around middle school when teens start to get interested in the opposite sex, means that rather than focussing on impressing each other, they devote that attention to developing their minds. As a result, they can fully imbibe the knowledge taught to them.

On the other hand, a mixed-sex education system offers boys and girls to develop well-rounded social skills at an early age. In the right environment, fluid interaction with the opposite sex permits children to cultivate healthy and balanced relationships with the other gender. To elaborate, a healthy view of the opposite sex developed early in life helps later on in different social spheres – in marriage, at the workplace and in other areas. For example, research conducted by University of Amsterdam shows that 67%  well-performing employees across top companies have studied in mixed schools. Therefore, school is a child’s first interaction with society and the relationships they build in these formative years provide a basis for interaction with people in the real world later in life.

To conclude, while segregated schools could allow children to pay more attention to academics, in my view, this sort of thinking is myopic. Mixed schools allow all-round development of a child’s teaching allowing them to create healthy relationships with the opposite sex. This is a vital skill necessary to maintain and develop social relationships all through life.

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